DOT Chief: LGU To Receive Warning Over Boracay Crowds

The municipal government of Malay in Aklan will be sanctioned over the breach in the limit of Boracay’s tourist carrying capacity during Holy Week.

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said the Department of the Interior and Local Government will issue a warning against the local government.

Puyat said only 19,215 people per day are allowed on the island. During the Holy Week, the number of visitors reached over 22,000.

“This was way beyond the carrying capacity,” Puyat said.

She said the department was alarmed with the crowds on the island as COVID is still very much around.

“The local government unit knows this, especially with COVID-19. The local government unit issues QR codes for visitors. They know the number and they know the capacity had exceeded,” Puyat said.

“Aside from the breach in the number of tourists, there were also reports that some did not follow minimum health and safety protocols. We are happy that the tourism industry is bouncing back, but we should remember that there is still COVID-19,” she added.

Puyat warned that the breach should not happen again.

Malay Mayor Frolibar Bautista admitted that tourist arrivals were not monitored or controlled.

Bautista said he himself was surprised and overwhelmed with the number of tourists. He attributed the breach to the issuance of QR codes.

“They might have forgotten or overlooked the aspect of carrying capacity,” he said.

He agreed with Puyat’s statement that such violation should not be repeated in the future.

Bautista said he has yet to receive any communication from Puyat’s office.

“I will wait for it and we will be submitting our explanation,” he noted.

Bautista said there were 12,159 tourists who arrived on the island on April 14.

“There were still visitors who have not left the island yet, that’s why, the number went up to 21,252 tourists on the same day,” he added.

The following day, the number of tourists increased to 22,519.

“It did exceed the carrying capacity, but if we talk about the carrying capacity, there were establishments that were not yet operating and so their workers were not on the island,” Bautista said.

He pointed out some residents had yet to return to Boracay and that this could somehow buffer the excess of tourists, if carrying capacity is to be taken into consideration.

Bautista said he would meet and discuss the matter with concerned agencies to prevent it from happening again.

Meanwhile, Martin Despi, manager of the Boracay Inter-Agency Rehabilitation and Management Group (BIARMG), said people could have gotten excited with the easing of restrictions that they decided to head for Boracay.

“Many were confined in their homes for more than two years because of COVID. Since the situation now is not as serious as before and travels were allowed, people were so thrilled to visit the island,” Despi said.

He stressed the BIARMG is checking the quality of water in Boracay as well as the solid waste management to determine the effects of overcrowding during the holiday.

“We are confident that issues are manageable as certain measures and systems were put in place during the rehabilitation,” Despi said.

He said they would use the recent incident as an opportunity to improve management of the island. – With Jennifer Rendon, Rhodina Villanueva